Researchers have found that inflated or deflated feelings of self-worth are linked to such afflictions as bipolar disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, anxiety and depression.
"We found that it is important to consider the motivation to pursue power, beliefs about how much power one has attained, pro-social and aggressive strategies for attaining power, and emotions related to attaining power," said
Sheri Johnson, a University of California - Berkeley psychologist and senior author of the study.
Sheri Johnson, a University of California - Berkeley psychologist and senior author of the study.
In a study of more than 600 young men and women conducted at UC Berkeley, researchers concluded that one's perceived social status - or lack thereof - is at the heart of a wide range of mental illnesses.
"People prone to depression or anxiety reported feeling little sense of pride in their accomplishments and little sense of power," Johnson said.
"In contrast, people at risk for mania tended to report high levels of pride and an emphasis on the pursuit of power despite interpersonal costs," she said.
Specifically, Johnson and fellow researchers Eliot Tang-Smith of the University of Miami and Stephen Chen of Wellesley College looked at how study participants fit into the "dominance behavioural system."
Dominance behavioural system is a construct in which humans and other mammals assess their place in the social hierarchy and respond accordingly to promote cooperation and avoid conflict and aggression.
The concept is rooted in the evolutionary principle that dominant mammals gain easier access to resources for the sake of reproductive success and the survival of the species.
Recent studies have found that people living in developed countries with the highest levels of income inequality were three times more likely to develop depression or anxiety disorders than their more egalitarian counterparts.
Similar results were found in a state-by-state comparison of income and mental illness in the US.
For the latest study, 612 young men and women rated their social status, propensity toward manic, depressive or anxious symptoms, drive to achieve power, comfort with leadership and degree of pride, among other measures.
In one study, they were gauged for two distinct kinds of pride: "authentic pride," which is based on specific achievements and is related to positive social behaviours and healthy self-esteem; and "hubristic pride," which is defined as being overconfident, and is correlated with aggression, hostility and poor interpersonal skills.
In a test for tendencies toward hypomania, a manic mood disorder, participants ranked how strongly they agreed or disagreed with such statements as "I often have moods where I feel so energetic and optimistic that I feel I could outperform almost anyone at anything," or "I would rather be an ordinary success in life than a spectacular failure."
Overall, the results showed a strong correlation between the highs and lows of perceived power and mood disorders.
One thing most people fail to consider is the spiritual ingredient. The Apostle Paul made the statement that our primary enemy isn't flesh and blood, but is the demonic realm (Ephesians 6:12). In the story of the temptation of Christ, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said to him "All this power I will give to you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered to me (via the fall of Adam), and to whomsoever I will I give it." (Luke 4:6). So, evidently, the people in power don't have it by their own design.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that is characteristic of people who consort with the demonic realm is that over time they begin to take on the personality traits of the demons they're consorting with, and the demons are all crazy as hell.
These scientists are doing their best to unravel complex human
ReplyDeletebehavioral traits using the latest knowledge about evolutionary
psychology, yet you believe you can explain this better with.... demons?
I suggest you avail yourself of some reading material dated more
recently than 2,000 years ago. Here are some suggestions:
_The Moral Animal - Why We Are the Way We Are, the New Science of Evolutionary Psychology_ (1995) by Robert Wright
_The Third Chimpanzee - The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal__ (1992) by Jared Diamond
_The Sociopath Next Door_ (2006) by Martha Stout
_Without Conscience - The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us_ (1999) by Robert Hare
_Snakes in Suits - When Psychopaths Go to Work_ (2007) by Paul Babiak and Robert Hare
_Just Babies - The Origins of Good and Evil_ (2014) by Paul Bloom
One
of the most fascinating aspects of being alive today is that our
fact-based understanding of what makes humans tick is finally coming to
light after so many millenia of myth, fable, and conjecture. The authors
of the study in this article, the books I've listed, and the literally
thousands of scientists who contributed the knowledge which went into
those books are the pioneers who are brave enough to hold up a mirror to
all of humanity and say "this is who we are." Anyone who reverts to the
age-old explanation of "demons" is only hobbling their own ability to
understand the real world around them by accepting a shallow fantasy
explanation worthy of children.
The problem with trying to deal with serious mental issues using 'advanced' psychology and psychiatry is that in many cases the mental illness has a spiritual ingredient that simply won't respond to 'professional' methods. This is a phenomenon that has been going on for thousands of years and hasn't changed any in all that time. The elites seem to be especially plagued with such mental illness in their families; there are numerous documented stories about how the so-called 'Royal Family' has been suffering with demonic issues for hundreds of years. This is true also of the European elite families, and some of the American elite families. There are lots of articles about it online so go see for yourself.
ReplyDeleteIf the 1% could fix those problems using the methods you prescribe they'd be doing it. They can afford to hire the brainiest 'gurus' in the world and you can be sure that they've tried consulting such 'gurus,' many times, and all for naught. Trying to deal with demonic oppression using intellectual realm weaponry is about like bringing a knife to a gun fight, and people who think they can pull it off are the ones who are living in a fantasy world.
I suggest you read the Gospel of Luke in order to catch a glimpse of what I'm talking about. Evidently you're totally unfamiliar with the spirit realm... the book of Luke has the potential to be a real eye opener.
Actually, I'm very familiar with the spiritual realm, both as personally experienced and the various ways the experience has been prescribed over time by all the world's major religions. (I read a lot about that, too)
ReplyDeleteBut I never mentioned anything about using psychology or psychiatry to get an individual to "respond" to some kind of cure for mental illness. I agree with you that many if not most people will not respond. But I would also remind you of the quote about being well-adjusted to a profoundly sick system is not a sign of mental health. Humans have been violently wrenched from our very real Garden of Eden -- planet earth -- and crammed into a modern urban environment that can drive any normal person crazy. Only a study of evolutionary psychology will yield the answers why, as the scientist in the above study are trying to do.
The 1% aren't trying to fix any problems. the only problems they worry about are how to stay rich and in power. "Fixing" problems in the way you mean would only be in conflict with their real goals. But they don't have "demonic" issues, they are simply psychopaths, a well-studied genetic variant of human born with no conscience. They do not have a "mental illness" in the usual sense of the term and cannot be "cured" -- not with drugs, not with talking therapy, and certainly not with any religion's scripture. In fact, the only value religion has to psychopaths is providing them with another career path in which they can become wealthy and powerful. Studying scripture may provide some clues that psychopathy has been in the human gene pool for a long time, but it isn't as direct and useful a way of learning how to spot psychopaths as simply studying the current literature on psychopathy.
Only when a large percentage of the population can quickly and accurately spot psychopaths will humanity be able to move past this evil era we are stuck in. Perhaps then we can safely focus our attention on the beauty of our true spiritual nature.
Dear Tom,
ReplyDeleteWhat you say is thought provoking to say the least. I strongly suspect that many of the people in the elite families would like to get out of the web they've weaved for themselves, but they've been consorting with some of the powerful fallen angels for a long time and in the process have given rights to those demons to control the way they think, and to control the things they do. The reason they keep on consorting with the demons is because the demons give them power and money. The insanity issue is only a fruit of the spiritual atmosphere they live in. I think also that the Lord is reaching out to some of them, i.e. those who he knows haven't totally sold themselves out to the kingdom of darkness, and that in time some of them will repent and come to him and will be healed spiritually. I think that it is for their sake that he doesn't judge the elites, because he knows that some of them are worth saving. It's pretty amazing to me that he withholds his judgment against some people who are doing evil because he knows that at some point they will have a change of heart.